Ladies: Treating Strep B Naturally

This is from my blog http://www.veganatgenesis.com & http://itveganatgenesis.blogspot.com
I presumed the worsening symptoms I was having were due to a yeast infection. So, I treated what I thought was a yeast infection with over-the-counter Yeast-Guard Suppositories. When it didn't work, figured I had gotten BV (bacteria vaginosis) again. So, I attempted to treat it with VH Essentials BV Treatment- Homeopathic Rime-Release Vaginal insert. While it gave some relief, it didn't .
The itching was still out of control and at times painful. Finally, after a visit to the doctor, I received the diagnosis of Strep B. I was diagnosed with Strep B during my pregancy and received antibiotics during delivery so that my daughter wouldn't receive its detrimental effects.
Determined to end this reoccurring problem of bacterial overgrowth (yeast, BV, and Strep B), through research of herbal remedies, I found the solution that worked for me.
What worked? Alkalizing the body. Restricting and eliminating acidic foods like apple cider vinegar, fruits, and grains. I had to boost my immune system which was low and allowed Strep B to breed and throw my vaginal area off balance.
Eating more green and alkalizing foods combated the acidic environment.
To boost my immune system I took golden seal, colloidal silver, and echinacea.
To kill the overgrowth I took black walnut and garlic capsules.
To alkalize my body, I used Oregon grape root and green foods, which were key to my speedy recovery (a little over a week, but for many it typically lasts two weeks even to a month).

For immediate relief, I also diluted colloidal silver in purified water and used as a douche (a little further than the opening of the vaginal so as not to push bacteria further up). UPDATE: a combination of 1-2 probiotics capsules and water is also effective when douching.

Yes, I was shocked at the recovery as well as the healing power of these simple herbs.

Many people and sources say that vinegar is a no-go for fighting yeast overgrowth/candida
However, while I think avoiding balsamic and wine vinegar is a good idea (are those even raw? maybe that's moot for this group...), I do not believe apple cider vinegar falls into that category
apple cider vinegar is supposed to balances pH and having a little sitz bath in it /mini douche mixed with water is great for killing the yeast. as is drinking it.
I do the sitz bath whenever I get candida-ish symptoms and it is instant relief.

body PH and the alkalizing theory is a scam, your body keeps a very narrow PH at the best of the time. Or we'd all have acidiosis. I see people trying to manipulate their digestive PH which is very dangerous as the stomach is meant to be acidic. You need an acidic digestion to be able to digest protein/food, if you have wiped your good bacteria out due to antibiotics there will be a shift in PH to alkaline this is where candida goes from its harmless yeast form to overgrowth fungal form. The acids released by your good bacteria are what keep opportunistic microbes in check.

Powerlifer, Strep B is not a yeast infection (yeast is must easier to treat), and pau darco does not work at all for Strep B. I haven't used the other two you mentioned. Strep B is an overgrowth of bacteria not yeast and although the symptoms are very similar I found much more relief and effectiveness using the above mentioned herbs and supplements.

i know strep isnt a yeast infection just the principle was the same for alkalising. I was merely trying to get my point across that if the blood is this acidic and causing disease you'd know about it as you'd have acidiosis.

ive personally never seen a case where pau d arco hasnt worked for strep B infact ive seen pau d arco work in cases where others have failed. But just incase i gave 2 other powerful choices such as andrographis and chapparal.

Thanks powerlifer, I wonder why it didn't work for me? I thought it would too. I get what you mean about acidiosis, and I never will believe that any one diet is the cure all for all people. Some benefit from eating high alkaline foods much better than the typical SAD diet. In my case, I had an imbalance for whatever reason (I know that I had a low immune system because I had a cold as well, and that also lowers oxygen levels and allows bacteria and yeast to grow) which caused an overgrowth of Strep B which obviously thrives in an overly acidic environment. I reaped the benefits of adding more alkaline foods to my diet (lots of raw foods of course) and it really added in the treatment. When I ate too much "acidic food" my symptoms came back. If it worked for me (whatever herb/supplement or food that boosted my immune system and combated the Strep), I thought maybe it would benefit someone else as well. :)

I typically eat a highly alkaline diet (well balanced) and still get sick- we're not perfect, but we do have supplements :) lol

I used Nature's Way Pau d'Arco inner bark 545 supplement. It did not work for me in the way of giving relief from itching. The combination of herbs mentioned earlier is what gave me relief from itching. I stopped taking the Pau d'arco after the third day and added colloidal silver than gave tons of relief! If I forgot to take the Oregon Grape the itching also came back so this combination is what worked-and not eating sugar foods (very little fruit) and lots of green foods. lol you have no idea how bad the itching way- well maybe you do lol...wake me in the middle of the night itching Arrrrr lol

Powerlifter,
I recently read an article by Matt Monarch in which he addressed the concept the pH balance. He clarified that our bodies work to remain in the same healthy state regardless of what we eat (acidic or alkaline foods), called homeostasis, but it has to work less when we eat more alkaline foods than acidic. When there is less concentration on bringing balance to certain parts of the body/systems then one area will not be deprived of minerals (or whatever is needed to keep it balanced). If there is an imbalance that area is more susceptible to aggravation and disease, but supplying the body with nourishing alkaline foods which are typically high in calicium and various minerals and vitamins (not that fruits don't) does support immunity and mineral/vitamin balance. I found his article very interesting and wanted to share.

sorry i never seen your post itveganatgenesis, i have nothing against eating alkaline foods etc its actually a good idea, im more against aggressively manipulating areas of the body which should remain acidic such as the digestive tract, people use alkaline waters or drops that make the waters alkaline this reduces your stomach acid which can they cause candida to turn from its harmless yeast form to overgrowth fungal form, aswell as cause protein digestion problems and so on.

Also the cult websites out there which claim acidic PH is the cause of all diseases when most of the diseases it claims for have nothing to do with PH, much like many of the candida websites.

Hi
I have been battling with strep b for the past two months as well. i have taken several rounds of antibiotics to no avail. By chance and surfing the internet i found a site on alkalinizing my diet. I was curious though don't we want to maintain an acidic environment in the vagina and won't eating alkalinized foods defeat this purpose? I am fully prepared to try eating more alkaline foods and trying the supplements that ItVeganatGenesis suggested. Just something that i had thought about and wondered if anyone knew the answer to.

Hey rmerriman, eating alkaline foods is no problem its more like i say in the post above purposely trying to manipulate areas which should be acidic such as the intestine, vagina, skin etc. Some people use formulas containing oxides to try an alkalise their gut which like i say above can cause many a problem.

the vagina is inhabited with good bacteria which is why often when you take anti-biotics you can end up with yeast infections and the sorts down there afterwards due to the shift in PH.

try pau d arco tea for strep B, or andrographis/chapparal all very strong herbs. Be sure to simmer for 10 minutes for the pau d arco tea.

Wow Powerlifer, I totally agree with you. We should never manipulate the natural balance of our body- the stomach functions perfectly in its acidic environment. Dr. Young does recommend those pH drops but common sense told me that it wasn't necessary for all causes- perhaps acute. Besides a natural approach (as close to pure food, even as supplements) would be the safest route to good health anyway.

Rmerriman, I hate douching as well. I used an oral syringe. You could also use a mixture of water, 1 capsule of probiotics, and a few drops of tea tree oil. No stinging- just relief. Try using it in the shower. You'll feel much better :)

yeah ItVeganAtGenesis i agree fully, the body does a great job in most cases at maintaining homeostasis unless were missing something or some condition is going on.

I prefer natural/whole foods, herbs if something is going wrong or to enhance health though:), the sad bit is alot of the products/supplements on the market are just pure hype/marketing and sometimes even the sellers dont even fully understand what there selling, much probably like the PH drops.

I just checked those drops which are based on bicarbonates, these were the sort of alkaline waters i was on about, definitley not a good idea to be manipulating the digestive tract in this manner, unless you want a whole host of problems.

Powerlifer,
What's ironic about my situation with Strep-B is that I got it after eating mainly a raw fruitarian diet :( I didn't intentionally plan my diet that way, but in hindsight that was the only difference in my lifestyle that could have triggered it. All that sugar :( So I was feeding Step-B with sugars and it got way out of control. I mean I hadn't had a problem with Strep-B in almost two year after my labor and delivery. Oh well, at least I understand more about my body and how to heal it naturally now. Thanks for all your info as well.

Oh yeah, the Pau D'arco didn't work for me because I'm allergic to it. It made my throat sore and made me itch. I revisited it last week to boost intestinal cleaning and balance and the allergic reaction started again- I ad forgotten about it.

ItVeganAtGenesis and PowerLifer~
Do you do a maintenance program to keep from getting the strep b over~colonization again? Is it safe to take black walnut with Pau D'arco? and i haven't gotten the Oregon Grape Root yet, is that an extremely beneficial part of the regimen? I do have all of the other items on hand. I am just not sure on how much to take. Also i have PHOS drops(extremely acidic, like lemon juice) that i got from my kinesiologist. Are those the same as PH drops? I don't want to take them if they are going to be unsafe.
One other question if either of you could help me. I had a bunch of blood work done to see if there was a reason why after rounds of antibiotics my body can't get rid of Strep B. The only thing that it showed was that i was deficient in vitamin D. Do you think this could be part of the reason why i'm having such a hard time with this? You guys have been so helpful. Thank you for your help and advice. And ItVeganAtGenesis..i was becoming extremely depressed about this until i found your post online. All the other posts that i have seen are from women who can't get rid of it and have no answers.

Oh, also...i did test positive for this when i was pregnant with my daughter. That was 3 years ago. I am assuming it has just been dormant or at a low colonization number because i haven't had any trouble with this until now.

You're so welcome Rmerriman. I know exactly how you feel. It's horrible!

The Oregon Grape Root gave me alot of relief. You just follow the directions on the bottle. I think it's 3 times a day. Make sure to take your garlic at night.

I'm not sure about the PHOS drops, but I do know that lemon juice is only acidic outside the body. It becomes alkaline during digestion.

Yes a vitamin deficiency is the cause of many illness including yeast, BV, and strep. So soak up some sun :)

I don't care to douche but you will get alot of relief after using colloidal silver. You can even use probiotics (completely safe and no burning) with water (probiotics-1 or 2 capsules mixed with the water) and a few drops of tea tree oil.

Don't get discouraged. It make take a few weeks for it to go away, but you will have relief until it clears completely and if you have an over growth of Strep B again- you know how to treat it

powerlifer, the pau d'arco wasn't causing my sore throat on it's own. It was the combination of herbs/supplements. I've recently added it to my maintaneance regimen and it seems to be working fine thus far.

What do you know about colloidal silver? it has been the best in easing and eliminating symptoms of strep b...it's really wonderful!

hey itveganatgenesis, nice one pau,d'arco is a great herb and should go some way at relieving sore throats also, but mostly that is with tea form as it comes in contact with the throat more easily.

colloidal silver can be quite effective just watch and take frequent breaks as it can build up and cause a greying of the skin.

there are other good herbs such as andrographis, chaparral etc that have anti-bacterial, anti-fungal/viral properties. Andrographis has also been shown to be as effective as milk thistle in protecting the liver. If taken as a bitter it will cleanse the liver also(its called the king of bitters though so you can imagine how bitter it is lol).

Thanks for the tip on collodial silver. I used to be so against douches, but I've been using apple cider diluted in water from time to time to give myself a break from the colloidal silver and it has been good at keep Strep at bay. Strep is really hard to keep undercontrol so I'm so happy to find something that gives me relief, if I have an overgrowth of strep. Thanks for the info. Maybe I should get the pau d'arco tea. The supplment is really strong.

oh Vegan I am so glad I found you! I have also been suffering from Strep B for almost a year now! I have also just found sites saying it's impossible to get rid of but happened to find this one today. I have been taking oil of oregano & grapefruit seed extract for the last week now, but it doesn't seem like it is helping. I am going to order those herbs you recommended right now. I do have some colloidal silver, how much do you take? I know you are supposed to dilute it, but how much/how often. How long did you take these herbs before you got relief? Do you also recommend taking probiotics during this time? And did you take as directed, or take more to get rid of it? Also, do you have to keep taking this stuff forever, or is it gone once you can get rid of it? I got Strep B when I did a round of flagyl last year for a bacterial infection.

Merriman, if you are still here, I am curious to know how things turned out for you?